Tuesday, October 20, 2009

The Barat Foundation is proud to present "Relics From [the] Other Realms", a group show exploring art as a porthole, exhibiting artists who use their mediums to access and portray other worlds. The opening reception is Friday October 23, 6-9pm at Barat Foundation Headquarters: 765 Broad St. Newark NJ 07102

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Working with recycled materials such as plastic water jugs and pvc piping Sompohi creates iconic, mythic structures in the image of Gla. Gla = is the spirit and identity of "we" society. The Gla manifests in nature and the work of human beings. Inspired by the spirit of Gla, Professor Sompohi Baya has created Glalogy, and objects in the image of Gla in order to spread the message of "we" society. Once the face of Gla is manifest, one can turn it to see the church, the mosque, the temple, the American Rocket and the Buddha; thus spreading the message of peace and diversity, seeing all people as one.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Through a curious amalgam of neo-mysticism and cultural empiricism Samson centers the dialogue in his work between the realities and artifacts of natural history and the fantasies and irrationalities of science fiction. His paintings, created using spray paint, acrylic, canvas, chipboard, and light fixtures, draw from notions and representations of the concepts of quantum mechanics. His work returns a stylistic minimalism to its mystical roots.He is represented by John Connelly Presents in New York City.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Nick Payne's pencil probes through a wormhole to the underbelly of a twisted comedy noir. Villians and peeping toms loom impending doom in a wanky tank flop town. For "Relics From [the] Other Realms" Payne will wallpaper an area of the gallery with over 50 pencil drawings made in his bedroom.

Paint Co is the process of building, the dynamics and systems of color theory and the tactile play of paint. An ongoing project of artist, Phil Cote, Paint Co is the creation of working space, and will be exhibited as such.

Taylor McKimens' world is crawling with wormed bologna, sweaty dads, and hairy legs. He is able to infest space with sculptural drawings that make me uneasy the way stranger's houses made me uneasy as a child. His work pushes you into a world of come as you are characters whose lives are memoralized in putrid glory. He is represented by Deitch Galleries in New York City.

Interdisciplinary art duo, LoVid is comprised of Tali Hinkis and Kyle Lapidus. Their work begins in the audio video world through original video symphonies they compose and perform on synthesizers they themselvs create. A truly self made and contained module, LoVid writes of their collage and patchworks, "Our collages are saturated reconstructions of video stills printed on paper and fabric... These patchworks are the materialization of video and the preservation of information that could otherwise be lost due to media broadcasting standards. Video stills are transferred onto fabric and rearranged to mimic the density and intensity of movement in our audiovisual work." LoVid is currently an artist in residence at Smack Melon in Brooklyn.

Maximillian Lawrence is the son of a brain surgeon, and indeed he carries with him an innate sense of dissection and neuro-strategy into his illuminated works. Living in Philly he is a founder and operator of Space 1026 gallery and collective.

Randy is the kind of person who seems normal enough. However, once you begin talking to him you realize that his mind works in a system completely foreign from any other you have known. His work's focus is discovering crypt in the baseboards of advertisements and mainstream media. I am fascinated by his mechanical and somewhat maniacal methodology, and truly intrigued by the narrative he discovers.

Colt Hausman's print work brings me to a systematic, coded space. I imagine that to interact in this universe one must know multiple series of cryptographic medleys. The prints are interfaces for playing these medleys and the color imprint reveals various truths when harmonies are achieved.

I first met Trent when I was studying at Rutgers. We bonded over tofu. My family having mainstreamed it in the 80's, his commitment to telling the story of the parallel universe of the "mounds", half people half plants, and their adventures with vegan tofu eaters. For me, his work is an inspiration to the detail and depth with which artists are able to communicate the worlds they see, or want to see. Trent is a masterful story teller, the kind capable of evoking a time when history was carried through myth. To learn more about Trenton Doyle Hancock and his work click here. Trenton is represented by the James Cohan Gallery in New York City.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Jesse Greenberg writes in his artist statement, "If today’s ATM was yesterday’s water well, then our debit card is the water bucket dipped into our financial pools. These kiosks have existed through time. They are totems to humans functions and portals for interaction, as opposed to grand statues and monuments, which record our achievements and memorialize events from times past. The kiosk is a functional machine sculpted for our actions and necessities."His works stand as "kiosks" to other worldly interaction; his art inviting the viewer to touch, as with his "touchables", evoking a scenery of candy colored space ships and buttoned maps.

The Barat Foundation

The Barat Foundation is a family run 501-(c)3 non profit art and educational foundation. Our goal:

Promoting art in the public sphere through community collaboration.

The fine art gallery program has been established to introduce contemporary art and artists, through exhibitions and workshops, to Newark's inner city community. We host 20-75 students daily, elementary aged - post high school, through our art related educational programs. We are located in the heart of downtown Newark, and a 5 minute walk from Newark Penn Station, at

Relics From [the] Other Realms

As part of the 2009 Newark Open Doors Art Festival the Barat Foundation is proud to present "Relics From [the] Other Realms" a group show running from October 23 - December 1st at Barat Foundation Headquarters, NewARC: 765 Broad Street, Newark NJ.

With an opening reception October 23rd, 6-9pm.

contact the gallery at: athena.baratfoundation@gmail.com

October 23rd will be an incredible day!

Come early for the City Wide Arts Parade we also produce from 4-6pm; featuring artwork by public highschool students in collaboration with artists, a 70 piece marching band, and a street parkour jam by World Freerunning and Parkour Federation athletes.